Total non-recycled household waste

Recycling behaviour is shaped by individual habits, the quality of local authority collection services, the cost of Landfill Tax, and broader economic conditions affecting consumption. The UK recycling rate for waste from households reached 42.3% in 2023-4, up from 41.7% in 2022-23, though below the peak of 43.8% in 2019-20. Waste not recycled is sent to landfill, used for energy recovery or disposed of through incineration.

Over the five years through 2026-27, the total volume of non-recycled household waste is expected to decline at a compound annual rate of 0.6%, reaching 13,167.7 thousand tonnes. This modest reduction reflects a broadly plateauing recycling rate rather than a structural improvement in waste reduction. Total household waste in England increased to 22.7 million tonnes in 2023-24, up 2.4% year-on-year, with residual waste rising to 13 million tonnes. Meanwhile, WRAP's Spring 2025 Recycling Tracker found that 81% of UK citizens are placing non-recyclable items in recycling bins, and social norms around recycling have weakened compared to 2019, pointing to persistent behavioural challenges.

The Landfill Tax has been a consistent structural driver, with the standard rate rising sharply from £103.70 per tonne in 2024-25 to £126.15 per tonne in 2025-26. The introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging from October 2025, which places the full net costs of household packaging waste collection and recycling on producers, represents a significant new policy lever designed to accelerate recyclability improvements upstream.